From a marketing point of view, the decorative strip applied around a yogurt or dessert cup during thermoforming — which also makes it possible to reduce the plastic thickness — is an attractive means of communication for a manufacturer.
But another prominent marketing trend is on the rise -- engraving. More and more, brands are deciding to show an engraving on the wall of the cup itself, which may or may not be labeled.
At Synerlink, we’ve been making engraved cups with etchings in a wide variety of images and lettering for a long time. But the recent rise of engraving in packaging is a response to customers’ quest for customization. “The trend has been growing ever since we engraved the bottom of the new Danone Kiss cup,” explains Guy Chauvet, an expert engraving designer at Synerlink. “Because of this success, customers are coming from all over, in ever-increasing numbers, asking us to engrave their brand name or logo, or even a motif that differentiates their cup.”
What is the mark of good engraving?
Usually, the customer will propose a motif or logo that the designer in the studio studies and redesigns. The Synerlink team are experts at adapting logos, as well as other images or characters. The exact design rules must be respected: the width and thickness of the characters or motif calculated in proportion to the thickness of the plastic film, calculation of the space necessary between the various elements to be engraved, so that the embossed relief is properly distinguished in thermoforming. And the plastic film must be able to go into and come out of the engraving process. This group of techniques is part of Synerlink’s thermoforming expertise.
Production of the mold is the next essential step. In the late 1990s, the design studios and digital tool and die machines at our mold-making partners gained the ability to execute digital engineering designs meeting Synerlink’s requirements. When Danone’s Kiss cup launched in 2011, ARCIL and Synerlink teams created beautiful engravings of the Danone logo at the base of the new yogurt cup thanks to the competitive costs of complex mold making. Creation of air evacuation holes in the mold allows the plastic to adhere perfectly to the intaglio engraving on the walls of the mold during thermoforming.
If you want your product to stand out on the shelf, engraving is one way to differentiate yourself from the competition that is more and more in demand. If you’re interested in exploring this new trend in packaging design, Synerlink’s thermoforming experience, expertise and creativity give us the edge over other packaging equipment companies.